176310845-Đã M Khóa

AN ANALYSIS OF ESSAY WRITING DIFFICULTIES FACED BY THE
THIRD SEMESTER STUDENTS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION

OF FKIP UNIVERSITAS ISLAM RIAU
A THESIS
NUR ANISA ZAKIAH
176310845
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHER
TRAINING AND EDUCATION ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF RIAU
PEKANBARU
2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THESIS APPROVAL………………………………………………………………………i
EXAMINERS………………………………………………………………………………ii
LETTEROF NOTICE…………………………………………………………………….iii
THESIS GUIDANCEAGENDA………………………………………………………….iv
DECLARATION………………………………………………………………………….vi
ACKNOWLADGEMENTS……………………………………………………………...vii
TABLE OF CONTENT…………………………………………………………………..vii
LIST OF TABLE…………………...……………………………………………………..xi
LIST OF DIAGRAM……………………………………………………………………..xii
LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………...xiii
LIST OF APPENDICES………………………………………………………………….xv
ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………........................xiv
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1
1.1 Background of the Problem..............................................................................................1
1.2 Identification of the Problem ...........................................................................................6
1.3 Focus of the Problem..................................................................................................... ....6
1.4 Research Question........................................................................................................... 7
1.5 Objective of the Research.................................................................................................7
1.6 Significance of the Research.............................................................................................7
1.7 Definition of the Key Terms.............................................................................................8
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE...............................................9
2.1 Relevance Theories ..........................................................................................................9
2.1.1 Definition of Writing......................................................................................................9
2.1.2 The Purpose of Writing................................................................................................1 2
2.1.3 The Process of Writing ................................................................................................13

2.1.4 Essay Structure............................................................................................................15
2.1.5 The Type of Essay Writing .........................................................................................16
2.1.6 Students’ Writing Problems ........................................................................................18
2.1.7 The Factors of Problem in Writing .............................................................................19
2.2 Relevance Studies ..........................................................................................................22
2.3 Conceptual Framework.................................................................................................. 23
2.4 Assumption ...................................................................................................................24
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..........................................................25
3.1 Research Design............................................................................................................. 25
3.2 Location and Time of the Research ................................................................................25
3.3 Participant of the Research ............................................................................................2 6
3.4 Instrument of the Research .............................................................................................26
3.5 Data Collection Technique .............................................................................................31
3.6 Data Analysis Technique ...............................................................................................31
CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FINDINGS………………………………………………..34
4.1 Data Description………………………………………………….……….…………....34
4.2 Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………………..36
4.3 Data Discussion………………………………………………………….…………......67
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION………………………………....74
5.1 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………...74
5.2 Suggestion…………………………………………………………………………...…75
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................77
APPENDICES.................................................................................................................... 80
LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.2 The Blue Print of Questionnaire…………….……………………………31
Table 3.3 The list of Interview…………………………………...…………………33
Table 3.4 Category of Questionnaire Score……………………………….………...36
Table 4.1 The students’ difficulties in essay writing…………………………….….38
Table 4.2 Interpretation Data………………………………………………………..58

LIST OF DIAGRAM
Diagram 4.2 The percentage of students’ difficulties in poor organization…………39
Diagram 4.3 The percentage of students’ difficulties in word of choice .................... 42
Diagram 4.4 The percentage of students’ difficulties in grammatical………………45
Diagram 4.5 The percentage of students’ difficulties in spelling……………………47
Diagram 4.6 The percentage of students’ difficulties in supporting ideas………..…50
Diagram 4.7 The percentage of students’ difficulties in punctuation……………….53
Diagram 4.8 The percentage of students’ difficulties in capitalization………….......55

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 4. 2. 1 The responses of students in lack of knowledge about writing
stages……………………………………………………………………………..59
Figure 4. 2. 2 The responses of students in lack of learners’ motivation...............60
Figure 4. 2. 3 The responses of students in inadequate time…….……………….63
Figure 4. 3. 4 The responses of students in lack of practice……………………..65
Figure 4.3. 5 The responses of students in teachers’ feedback…………………..68

LIST OF
APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1 Research Questionnaire…………………………………….…….79
APPENDIX 2 Interview……………………………………………………..…..85
APPENDIX 3 Script of Interview…………………………………………….…87

ABSTRACT
Nur Anisa Zakiah. 2022. An Analysis of Essay Writing Difficulties

Faced By the Third Semester Students in English Language Education
of FKIP Universitas Islam Riau. Thesis Pekanbaru: English Study
Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas
Islam Riau.
Keywords: Students’ Difficulties, Writing, Essay Writing.
Writing is a very complex skill and difficult to master. Difficulties

in writing can be seen in various aspects of writing. There are various
factors that cause difficulties in writing. This study aims to analyze the
kind of writing difficulties faced by the third semester students in
Universitas Islam Riau. We used survey and the population of this
research was the third semester students consisting of 101 students.
This descriptive research employed qualitative techniques was

considered as an appropriate approach as a type of research. The
population of this study was third semester students of English Education
at Universitas Islam Riau, while the sample was selected through
random sampling technique that consists of 15 students. The data were
collected from made questionnaire in the Google form and interview
through Google meet.
The result of this research was presented descriptively in order to

indicate that student difficulties in essay writing. The result of
percentage showed that, the third students at Universitas Islam Riau
faced difficulties in essay writing. The overall mean of students'
problems in writing in the third semester students in Universitas Islam
Riau was (4.10) categorized as "high". Specifically, students problems in
poor organization was (3.78), problem of word choice (4.10),
grammatical error (3.88), spelling problem (3.25), confused on
supporting the ideas (3.63), punctuation problem (3.42), capitalization
(2.80). Moreover, from the interpretation of the mean, and most of the
students agreed that they had dominant problems; word choice and
grammar. Meanwhile, lack of motivation was the most common factors
of students' writing problems.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Problem
English as an international language is used as a means of communication in many
countries, and it plays an important role in many aspects of life, including politics,
commerce, trade, and diplomatic relations. Furthermore, English is strongly intertwined
with advancements in technology, research, economics, and education. Because of the
importance of English, the Indonesian government has made it the first foreign language
and a core subject in our educational system. In junior and senior high school, English is
taught as one of the key compulsory subjects.
There are four English skills that students have to master: listening, speaking,
reading, and writing.The researcher focuses on writing ability in this section. Apart from
the other skills, writing is one of the language skills that should be learned. Writing is
regarded as a useful ability that aids students in expressing their thoughts in writing. Abbas
and Herdi (2018) writing places thoughts on paper to communicate, create, and organize.
The better the writing result would be, the more ideas the authors have. However, to
express, develop, and organize ideas into written form is not easy. Writers must understand
two aspects of writing. Pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing are all part
of the writing process. Secondly, micro and macro writing skills include using word
diction, grammar, fact-checking, and reasoning.
Writing is the process of creating a piece of written language to be read. Writing,
on the other hand, is more than just converting language into symbols. Writing is much
more than the generation of graphic symbols, just as speech is more than producing
sounds; these symbols must be arranged according to some standards to make words and
then combined to produce sentences. Moreover, writing should be included in a second or

foreign language curriculum for a variety of reasons. The fact that writing aids learning is
one of the most important reasons. It allows students to try new things with the language
and expand on what they have learned. For instance, to help students remember new
language elements or consolidate new structures or vocabulary. Furthermore, writing is
important for students because it helps their learning and affects students' learning
abilities. Writing encourages students to use critical thinking to analyze their
understanding of arguments, vocabulary, and writing style. Moreover, students may
convey their thoughts or feelings to the readers through writing.
For non-native students, learning to write is a difficult task. It is critical to have a
large vocabulary, master grammatical structure, and be familiar with text organization to
produce good writing. Therefore, when teaching writing to non-native students, those three
things should be emphasized. Writing is a continuous process. It means that when you
write something down for the first time, you are already planning what you will say and
how you will say. After you have finished writing, you go back to what you have written
and make any necessary changes or corrections. As a result, writing is never a one-step
process; it is a process that has several steps.
Most Indonesian students struggle to write in English as a second language,
especially when writing essays. Many students make mistakes when writing essays to
express their thoughts and opinions. On the one hand, writing essays will help students
improve their grammar, vocabulary and spelling. Students can boost their self-esteem and
develop their writing skills by writing essays. In reality, we do not know how to take the
first statement, which is the fundamental problem in essay writing. Thus it is important to
organize first before we start to write. As a result, the researcher's goal in this study is to
create an environment in which students enjoy writing.
It is necessary to comprehend more than those aspects of writing, especially when
writing an essay since it requires students to create logical ideas systematically. However,
presenting only ideas or arguments without presenting proofs, facts, or examples is
inadequate. It needs a well-thought-out, and coherent argument backed up by credible
evidence. Serving such authoritative proof would support the suggested concept or
argument.
Furthermore, essay writing is the most effective way for students to practice and
develop their writing skills. The best explanations are that when writing an essay, students
are forced to confidently express their thoughts, ideas, opinions, and arguments about the
subject they learned in class in writing form. According to Greetham (2013), writing an
essay is a valuable learning experience that should be embraced. If you hide behind the
letter, simply paraphrasing or repeating what you have read without processing and
making those ideas your own, your teacher will not see you, your talents, or your issues,
and you will never know the full extent of your abilities or how much you understand.
Eventually, writing an essay will assist the lecturer and students in the learning process.
Particularly in writing classes, to see how well students understand what they are learning
and improve their writing skills. According to preliminary research conducted by the
researcher with some English students at the Islamic University of Riau, the third-semester
students still have some difficulties in writing an essay.
The first is poor organization. Information should be delivered to readers structured
during the writing process; even tiny writing pieces should follow consistent, predictable
organizational patterns. The most amazing benefit of organizing is that it makes it easier
for the reader to trust what you are saying and understand the intended written messages in
the essay.
The second problem is logical development of ideas; content. The students become
confused when it comes to assigned topic. They are occasionally confused as to how to
write more ideas. Supporting concepts will help you develop any ideas from the title and
make the readers interested in your writing.

The third problem is grammar .Grammar is an important part of not only writing
but also of language as a whole. To write effectively, we must comprehend the structure of
the language, the functions of speech, how words relate to one another, the meaning of
individual words, and the rules of grammar and punctuation.
The fourth problem is mechanics (spelling, punctuation and Capitalization). The
term "mechanics" in composition relates to the appearance of words, such as how they are
spelled or placed on paper. According to writing conventions, a sentence must start with a
capital letter and end with full-stop punctuation (period, question mark, or exclamation
point). These conventions or mechanics are very important in putting together a good
quality piece of writing because no matter how innovative the learner's thoughts are if they
cannot articulate them in a clear and precise manner, they will not be able to write a good
quality piece of writing. The use of capitalization in writing becomes a challenge for
students. In written English, capitalization is a must. “It shows pauses and sentence
borders, as well as removing ambiguity.’’ A well-capitalized piece of writing will make it
easier to read and understand your work, resulting in a more favorable impression on your
readers.
The last problem is vocabulary or precise vocabulary usage. Choosing the
appropriate words are the most effective technique for learners to explain their ideas in
writing accurately. As a result, the reader will be able to understand what the writer is truly
saying. Therefore, students must expand their vocabulary knowledge to be fluent in
constructing sentences and choosing the suitable vocabulary in writing.
Based on the fact above, the researcher is interested in identifying some of the
students' obstacles in their writing process, especially in essay writing. In concluding a
research study entitled “An Analysis of Essay Writing Difficulties Faced By the Third
Semester Students in English Language Education of FKIP Universitas Islam Riau.”
1.2 Identification of the problem

Based on the background of the study, students have some difficulties in writing
essays. The students are unable to express themselves in writing in a simple, accurate, and
comprehensible manner. Many problems can be identified related to students in essay
writing. The problem is: (1) Organization; introduction, body, and conclusion, (2) Logical
development of ideas; content, (3) Grammar, (4) Mechanics; punctuation, spelling and
capitalization, (5) Precise vocabulary usage. Some of these difficulties must also be caused
by several things in students. Therefore, the researcher will identify the factors of students'
problems in writing.
1.3 Focus of the problem
Based on the explanation of identification above, the researcher needs to limit the
problem. The researcher focused on analyzing the students’ difficulties faced by the third-
semester students of FKIP UIR in essay writing. Then, to know what are the factors of
students’ difficulties in writing that makes them got stuck in essay writing?
1.4 Research Question
Based on the background of the study as stated before, the researcher formulates
the research question as follow:
1. What are the difficulties faced by third-semester English Language
Education students at UIR?
2. What are the factors that influence students’ difficulties in writing essays?
1.5 Objective of the Research
Based on the problem above, the objective of the research is:
1. To analyze the difficulties faced by third-semester English Language Education
students at UIR while writing essays.
2. To recognize the factors of students' writing problems in writing essays.
1.6 Significance of the Research

The result of this research is expected to contribute:
1. For students
Students need to realize their difficulties in writing an essay and provide them with
any information they need to consider in writing. So, it can improve the quality of
writing students.
2. For lecturer
To give the lecturer information about the difficulties students face in the third
semester of English Language Education at the Islamic University of Riau in
writing an essay. So, it can help the lecturer prepare the strategies and recognize
the students’ problems in writing.
3. Other Researcher
This research can refer to other researchers interested in developing student writing
by understanding students' challenges while writing essays. Moreover, figure out
what is causing the students' writing problems.
1.7 Definition of Key Terms
To specify the research topic, the researcher delivered some definitions of key
terms related to the research.
1. Analysis
An analysis is a detailed study or examination of something in order to understand
more about it.
2. Difficulties
Difficulty is problem, thing or situation that causes problem.
3. Essay Writing
Essay writing is a subject that instructs students on how to compose an essay
correctly.
CHAPTER II
REVIEW AND RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Relevance Theories
2.1.1 Definition of Writing
Writing has long been recognized as essential language ability for learners to be
mastered. According to Pasand and Haghi(2013), writing is one of the most critical skills
in studying a foreign language, whose essence has become more evident in recent years. It
entails the development of an idea, the documenting of mental representations of
knowledge, and the observation of subjects. Hidayati (2018) supports that, writing is a type
of communication in which a writer communicates his or her ideas and thoughts to readers
in written form.
Nunan (2003) believes that writing is a component of process and product. The
way writers do it is to imagine, organize, draft, edit, read, and reread. Negari (2011)
supports that, writing is a difficult process requiring various cognitive and meta cognitive
skills, such as brainstorming, planning, outlining, organizing, drafting, and revising.
Meanwhile, Anh (2019) regards that people may express their ideas, emotions, and
opinions in writing, which is essential. Writing is the actual act of committing words or
thoughts to paper. On the other hand, writing is the mental process of generating ideas,
deciding how to convey them, and arranging them into sentences and paragraphs that are
understandable to a reader.
As Yulansari (2019), supported writing and other skills such as speaking, reading,
and listening have become the most critical skills for students to learn. It enables students
to express their thoughts, ideas, and opinions in written form. Students may develop their
knowledge by presenting their ideas in writing since they must convey many ideas and
facts. They have to make their ideas and thoughts visible and concrete because it also helps
them develop their critical thinking skills. Writing allows us to communicate our ideas to
others. It means that we can express our thoughts in writing as well as in speaking.
Moreover, Rao (2007) states that writing has long been considered crucial in
teaching and learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). On the one hand, it helps
students think, allowing them to concentrate and organize their thoughts while also
improving their ability to summarize, analyze, and criticize. On the other hand, it
encourages students to read, think, and reflect on English.
According to Ahmed (2010), writing is described as "a reflective activity that
involves appropriate time to think about a particular topic as well as to analyze and
identify any prior knowledge. Then, the writers need a suitable language to organize their
thoughts into a logical type of writing.

On the other hand, According to Aditya et al. (2013), writing is retained as a tool
for expressing ideas in daily life, such as industry, innovation, and education. In the
educational sense, writing has been defined as a sign language skill that learners must
master.
Furthermore, According to Sapkota (2012), writing is the process of putting down
the graphic symbols that make up a language to express meaning to the reader to
understand what the writer is trying to convey.
According to Rass (2015), writing is a tough skill for native and non-native
speakers because writers must balance numerous issues in their writing, such as content,
organization, purpose, audience, vocabulary, and mechanics, including punctuation and
spelling capitalization.
To sum up, writing is the use of letters, symbols, and words to represent meaning.
On the other hand, writing is the mental process of generating ideas, deciding how to
convey them, and arranging them into concise statements and paragraphs. Apart from the
grammar, vocabulary, or mechanics (spelling and punctuation), the students should also
discover the idea because argument or point of view is required in writing, especially in
essay writing.
The majority of students should struggle with writing tasks, especially essay
writing. Students face many writing problems as a result of their inability to use English in
real-life situations. According to Ulugbek and Anora (2020), one of the most complex
forms of writing is the essay. To write an essay in English, you must gather information
about strangers' expressions and thoughts in writing. An essay includes a self-written
subject plan (cluster), the ability to assess events independently. So, writing an essay is
extremely important, particularly for university students, since they must write in English.
Even though writing is a difficult task for students, people cannot ignore that
having good writing skills means effective text communication. In addition, Ariyanti and
Fitriana (2017) explain that a lecturer is an important factor in motivating students to
achieve high levels of success in writing tasks, especially in essay writing. Because “a
good teacher teaches, a great teacher explains, and the best teacher inspires,” So, the
teachers’ feedback and any motivations of people around can have a great impact on the
students’ interest in writing.
2.1.2 The Purpose of Writing
Harris et al. (2014) state that writing is not only the act of putting symbols of
language into written form, but it also serves to deliver ideas. When people begin writing,
they do not simply write down all of their thoughts. They need to convey and organize
their thoughts into a readable text with some meaning. They must consider how to make
their theories easily understandable.
Meanwhile, Alfaki (2015)defines that the general purpose of writing is for people
to openly express their thoughts, emotions and persuade and convince others.
In addition, Abdallah (2015) also says that the writing process should be guided
and informed by a clear purpose in mind. The first type of purpose is referred to as general
purpose. There are four general purposes for writing: to educate, to persuade, to express, or
to entertain. These are always mixed. For example, most expository writing is supposed to
inform, but it also has a convincing secondary component: persuade the reader that it is
accurate and reliable. Certain writing is primarily expressive, allowing the writer to convey
feelings and thoughts, mostly through the recounting of personal experience, but it may
also contain details and factual points. Personal essays, journal writing, diaries, poetry,
prose, and plays are all examples of expressive writing. Furthermore, although some
humorous writing seems to be solely for entertainment, it may also be making a serious
point. On the other hand, the specific purpose of writing can be implied or expressed.
Usually, in the literature, the purpose is always conveyed through the themes embodied in
the section. However, the purpose is usually expressed directly in expository writing,
either on a topic sentence or thesis.
2.1.3 The Process of Writing
Writing is a continuous creative process that needs more than one phase. There are
approximately four stages in the writing process. The first step is to generate ideas. The
ideas are arranged in the second phase. You write a rough draft in the third step. You
polish your rough draft in the final stage by editing and revising it. Oshima and
Hogue(2007), there are four steps in writing;
1. Pre-writing
Pre-writing is a technique for generating ideas. The students select a topic and
gather information to explain that topic. Listening is the prewriting technique where
students will write the interesting topic at the top of a piece of paper and then quickly
make a list of the terms or phrases that come to mind.
2. Organizing
The following step in the writing process is to arrange your thoughts into a simple
outline.
3. Writing
Students use the outline as a guide when writing a rough draft in this step, ignoring
grammar, punctuation, and spelling. While writing, the students would almost certainly
contain several errors. After all, this is perfectly normal and appropriate. It is just a first
draft. You will correct the errors later.
4. Polishing: Revising and Editing

This procedure is also known as revising and editing. Polishing is most effective
when done in two stages. To begin, address the major issues of content and organization
(revising). Then focus on minor grammatical, punctuation, and mechanics problems
(editing).
It is also supported by Maysuroh et al.(2017), who do more than write the words
and put them together on paper to make sentences when writing. A good writer through
several steps to produce a piece of writing;
Pre-writing: the students were given some subjects to write about, and then the lecturer
used brainstorming to unlock the students' prior knowledge. The lecturer also
demonstrated to the students the vocabulary and grammatical structures related to the
subject they were interested in or had many ideas about during this process.
Drafting: after they were given some subjects, the lecturer instructed them to write down
their key ideas and organize the supporting sentences, which would later be formed into a
paragraph.
Revising: at this point, the students combined all of their key ideas into paragraphs and
delved deeper into them.
Editing: students were asked to review and correct their spelling, punctuation, and
grammar as part of the editing process.
Publishing: they will publish their writing after they have revised it. The lecturer asked
the students to share their writing with their classmates and check it collaboratively with
the lecturer during this process.
2.1.4 Essay Structure
According to Eunson (2014), your essay needs to be structured in a particular way
to maximize its effectiveness. An essay has three basic structures. They are as follows;
introduction, body or argument, and conclusion. It also supports by Zemach and Rumisek
(2003);
1. Introduction
An introduction provides a general overview of the subject. A thesis statement is
also included. It is a sentence that expresses the core idea. It is usually seen at the
end of a paragraph.
2. Body Paragraph
These are the paragraphs between the introduction and the conclusion and clarify
and support the thesis argument. In the main body of an essay, one or more
paragraphs are needed.
3. Conclusion
It is the essay's last paragraph. It restates or summarizes the essay's argument and
supporting ideas.
2.1.5 The Types of Essay Writing
According to Abdallah (2015), there are several types of essay writing, they are;
1. Expository Essay
An expository essay aims to illustrate something to the reader by providing
directions or instructions on accomplishing a task or how something is done. You

are demonstrating your own experience and elaborating with evidence rather than
your own opinion.
2. Compare and Contrast Essay
The essay may be a neutral discussion or an attempt to persuade the reader of the
benefits of a particular item, individual, or idea. It may also be published to
entertain the reader or gain insight into human nature. The essay could cover all
similarities and differences, or it could concentrate solely on one. The similarities
between two items are usually discussed in a comparison essay, while the
differences are usually discussed in a contrast essay.
3. Cause and Effect Essay
The cause and effect essay discusses why or how an event occurred, as well as
what happened as a result of the event. The relationship between two or more
events or interactions is the subject of this essay. The causes for anything
happening are generally addressed in a cause essay. An effective essay examines
what occurs as a result of a particular occurrence or situation.
4. Argumentative Essay
An argumentative essay attempts to persuade the reader to agree with the author's
point of view. The writer may be serious or humorous, but he or she must still try
to persuade the reader of the importance of his or her point of view. The essay may
make a straightforward statement or use irony or sarcasm to convince the reader
subtly. Your strategy is to take a stand on a subject and back it up with facts, not
dive into an unresolved issue.
5. Narrative Essay
A narrative essay accomplishes a goal by telling a story, engaging the reader, and
conveying a message. The following are some of the goals of writing narratives: to
build a sense of common history, to entertain, to educate, and to provide insight.
2.1.6 Students’ Writing Problems

According to Brown (2010: 246) there are seven aspects of writing as follows:
content, organization, vocabulary, syntax; grammar, and mechanics; capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling.
1. Organization such as introduction, body and conclusion.
2. Vocabulary means the writers have to choose the right words in explaining their
ideas in their writing.
3. Mechanics such as correct use of English Writing conventions: left and right
margins, all needed capitals, paragraphs indented, punctuation and spelling: very neat.
4. Content means it addresses the assigned topic: the ideas are concrete and
thoroughly develop.
5. Syntax means such as precise vocabulary usage: use of parallel structures:
grammar.
According to Al-Khasawneh(2010), the problems faced by students are; vocabulary,
grammar, organization of ideas, spelling, and referencing.
According to Mohammad and Hazarika (2016), writing is generally a struggle for
EFL students because it is regarded as the most time-consuming and difficult language
skill. It is, in some ways, a combination of various other skills like reading, listening. As a
result, students are rarely motivated to write. Motivation is crucial in the development of
any skill. Students are learning English as a second language encounter significant writing
challenges, particularly in capitalization, punctuation, language use, tenses, prepositions,
and spelling.
2.1.7 The Factors of Problem in Writing
According Byrne (1988) states that, writing is a difficult activity for most people
since it requires them to use their mother tongue as well as a foreign language. Writing-
related issues are divided into three categories; psychological, linguistic, and cognitive.
1. Psychological Problems
Writing is a complicated thing since it does not come naturally and must be
learned through constant work and practice.A student must also write a lot in
order to become a good writer. The students will be more motivated to do it if
someone is physically present when they use language and they receive some
form of feedback.
2. Linguistics Problems
In oral communication related to a process of interaction and, except in special
circumstances, such as lecturer or other participants who help it to keep going.
In speech is normally spontaneous, we have a little time to pay attention with
the sentences structure. We repeat, backtrack and so on, depending how people
react what we say. In writing, we must compensate for the lack of these
features; we must keep the communication channel open through our own
efforts and ensure that the text we produce can be interpreted on its own, both
through our choice of sentence structure and the way our sentences are linked
together and sequenced. So, the learners require time to gather information,
organize their thoughts, write drafts, proofread, and rewrite to make their work
can be understood by the reader.
3. Cognitive Problems
Writing, on the other hand, is learnt through instruction; we must master the
written form of the language as well as some structures that are less commonly
used in speech. We must also learn how to organize our thoughts so that they
may be understood by a reader who is not present, and possibly by a reader
who is unfamiliar to us.

Adas and Bakir(2013), classifying some of the factors of problems in writing, they
are; the students described the key factors of their English shortcomings as the teaching
method and the environment. Their lack of English proficiency is due to either a lack of
student motivation to the teacher. Learners of English have a small vocabulary. As a result,
students tend to repeat the same sentences. Learners of English do not use invented
spelling, and their written texts are limited to familiar words. Because of the ill-structured
sentences in composition, the students' writing is difficult to understand. Students are
unable to share their work with their peers and do not receive enough feedback. When the
students read their work aloud, they could not say if what they read or wrote was correct or
incorrect.
According to Maysuroh (2017), it is critical to explain some aspects that contribute to
students' issues in their writing classes.
1. Lack Practice
Writing is considered the most difficult skill. As a result, both teachers and students
will require much practice and constant effort.The findings revealed that the
students only practiced writing on a very limited basis. They also did not have
much time at home to learn writing. As a result, students found it challenging to
write down their thoughts.
2. Low Motivation
The majority of students appeared to write to complete their assignments rather
than for writing. They did not want to write since they thought it was too difficult.
One of the causes of writing difficulties could be a lack of enthusiasm and
willingness.
3. Time Allocation
Another element contributing to the students' problem is that the writing process
necessitated time to compose the text and revise. As a result, the kids could not
complete it in the classroom because the time limit had expired.

2.2 Relevance Studies
To support the results of this proposal, the following researcher attach two other
researchers who have examined in advance about this title, namely:
The previous study was conducted by Msanjila (2005)with the title “Problems of
Writing in Kiswahili: A Case Study of Kigurunyembe and Morogoro Secondary Schools
in Tanzania.” This research aims to identify and discuss writing problems in Kiswahili in
Tanzanian secondary schools. This study focuses on the problems students face in writing
systematically and logically, in which students mix English structures and expressions
with Kiswahili. Understanding becomes difficult in this case, and the intended meaning is
severely harmed. The results of this analysis show six major writing flaws: capitalization
and punctuation issues, fuzziness or inexplicitness, poor organization or illogical sequence,
spelling issues, and grammatical errors. She discovered 171 errors in capital letter use, 147
errors in punctuation, 72 errors in explicitness/fuzziness sentences, 63 errors in poor
organization/illogical sequence, 31 errors in spelling terms, and 24 errors in grammatical
essay writing from 60 students.
The second research is by Peragita Agdia and Anfauzia Rozani Syafei (2020)
entitled “Kinds of Writing Difficulties in Academic Writing Faced by English Teachers of
SMKN 8 Padang”. Based on the finding data of this research, it found that students have
difficulties in writing academic essays. The difficulties in writing were found in every
aspect of writing include difficulties in the content, organization, language use,
vocabulary, and mechanics. As result, the highest frequency problems happened in
content, which consisted of 20,3. For content, 13,8 for organizations, 17,6 for language
use, 13,6 for vocabulary, and 3,8 for mechanics. It can be concluded that the kind of
teachers difficulties in writing were in content, organization, language use, vocabulary and
mechanics.
From all of the previous studies, the researcher do a research on college students,
and it is not only focused on students' difficulties in essay writing but also the factors of
students' difficulties in writing faced by the third-semester students. Hopefully, this
research will give new information about the difficulties and the factors in writing to all
students and the lecturer.
2.3 Conceptual Framework
Students’ Difficulties in
Writing Essay
Indicators Factors
Organization Lack of Knowledge

about writing stages
Vocabulary
Mechanics; Lack of Motivation
Spelling
Lack of Time
Punctuation
Capitalization Lack of Practice
Content/Ideas
Grammar Teacher Feedback
Figure 1 Conceptual Framework
2.4 Assumption
In this research, the writer assumed that the third semester students of English
Department of UIR have faced some difficulties in Essay Writing. The researcher assumed
the highest problems of students come from in grammar.

CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHOD
1.1 Research Design
Research design is a strategy used to arrange the research arrangements to
achieve valid data. According to Creswell (2018), research designs are forms of inquiry
that provide clear direction for procedures in a research study, and they can be contained in
qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. This research is qualitative. As
stated by Hancock et al. (2009), qualitative research is focused on establishing
explanations for social phenomena. The statement implies that qualitative research
describes, investigates, and researches social phenomena involving interesting individuals
or cases. This study aims to understand the phenomena that occur in society. More
specifically, the researcher will use descriptive qualitative research wherein processing the
data; the researcher needs to describe, provide deep analysis and elaborate the results in
detail. In this study, the researcher tries to analyze students' writing difficulties in essay
writing.
1.2 Location and Time of Research
The location of this research was conducted in the third semester in English
Language Education of UIR Pekanbaru, which is located on Kaharuddin Nst. Street,
Number.113, Simpang Tiga, Bukit Raya, Kota Pekanbaru, Riau. The time of the research
started from June-August 2021.
3.3 Participant of the Research
Participant in this research is the third-semester students of English Language
Education of FKIP UIR academic year 2021/2022. The total of the third-semester students
is 101 students.
In this research, the researcher needs to accomplish a sampling and decide the
participant that participates in this study. The method of selecting a representative number
of individuals from a large population is known as sampling. According to Majid (2018),
sampling is choosing a sample of the population of interest that is statistically
representative.
In addition, According Muslih and Sari (2017) the number of respondents is less
than 100, with all samples taken. If that is the subject large or more than 100 people can be
taken 10% - 15% percent or 20% - 25% or more.
Based on the explanation, the researcher used random sampling and chooses 15
students from 3A and 3B class as a participant. The researcher will choose 8 students from
3A, and 7 students from 3B.
3.4 Instruments of the Research

In this research, the researcher used questionnaires and interviews from the third-
semester students in English Language Education.
a. Questionnaire. A Google form is used to offer the questioner a set of
questions. The questionnaire was sent to all students of the third semester in English
Language Education. The questionnaire aims to learn more about how students understand
writing skills and the necessity of being aware of the writing process.
b. Interview. An interview was conducted to obtain more specific information
on the questionnaire data. Interviews have done with several students who are chosen at
random. Furthermore, the choice is made based on the specialization of the answers
provided, and it is thought to be beneficial and fascinating to elaborate more.
3.4.1 Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a list of some questions or statements that the researcher
provides to the participants. It is a close-ended question for students, which the researcher
will provide the question and some answers for students to choose from. The questionnaire
in this study had twenty-eight questions and was divided into seven writing difficulties;
organization, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, supporting detail, punctuation, and
capitalization. The researcher adopted the questionnaire from Habibi et al. (2017);
Table 3.2. Questionnaire
No Indicator Item Total
1 Poor Organization / Students' problems in learning 5
illogical sequences related to writing techniques,
poorly writing organize, outlining,
and making mind mapping in
writing.
2 The problem of Word Problems faced by students in 5
Choice learning that related to using
simple words, being confident in
using simple words, lack of
vocabulary, spending time to use
new vocabularies.
3 Grammatical Error Problems faced by students in 5
learning related to using the correct
tenses, using passive voice, poor
grammar, take a long time to make
the correct tenses with grammar.
4 Spelling Problem Problems faced by students in 5
learning that related to checking
new words in spelling, reviewing
writing to check to spell, spending
time while checking to spell.
5 Confused on supporting Problems faced by students in 5
the ideas learning that relate to constructing
the words, define the items, Having
no idea, finding the source.
6 Punctuation Problems Problems faced by students in 5
learning that related to putting the
correct punctuation, using stop
and coma position, using
apostrophes, conjunction.
7 Capitalization Problems faced by students in 5
learning that are related to using
capitalization in the right way,
forget using capitalization.
(Adopted by Habibi et al. (2017)
3.4.2 Interview
Interviews are other instruments used by the researcher in this study to find the
causes of students’ writing. The researcher interviewed the students by giving a question
based on a guidance interview indicator by recording the students’ statements of third-
semester students of the English Language Education program of UIR.
Table 3.3. Interview Guidance
No Category Question
1 Lack of Knowledge about Do you know the sequence in the
Writing Stages writing stages?
2 Lack of Learners’ Do you like Essay Writing Subjects?
Motivation Please give the reason!
3 Inadequate Time What do you think about the schedule
of Essay Writing? Is it appropriate to
produce good writing at the time? Do
you feel any different if there is an
essay writing inthe morning like your
body or physical situation?

4 Lack of Practice How many times does your lecturer
givethe opportunity to write one topic
or title? Have you practiced your
essay writing at home or cost? How
about in the class? Do you have
enough time to practice your writing?
5 Teachers’ Feedback How many essays have you learned
during this semester? How many
exercises? Is there any feedback
from your lecturer? Is it helpful for
you?
6 There are five factors of students’
problems in writing. So what is the
biggest cause of your problem in
writing?
(Adapted by Novariana et al. (2018)
3.5 Data Collection Technique
The researcher collected the data by providing questionnaires and interview. For the
first, the researcher asked permission to Head of English Language Education of FKIP
UIR to do the research. Second, the researcher asked for the agreements from 15 students
who will be choose the researcher give questionnaire and interview them. Third, the
researcher made a schedule with the students to conduct the questionnaires and interview.
In this research the research will provide questionnaire in Google form and interview by
using Google meet. Fourth, after collecting the data the researcher analyzed it. The
questionnaire is used to analyze the students’ difficulties in writing by using close-ended

questions. Therefore, the interview instrument made the type of question open-ended to
explore the statements of students based on their experiences.
3.6 The Data Analysis Technique
The researcher acquired data using two instruments: a questionnaire and an
interview. Participants were asked to choose one of these options when completing out the
questionnaire, based on how they thought and felt about their condition at the time. In this
study, students were given a questionnaire to fill out in order to obtain numerical data on
the difficulties they face when writing essays. The questionnaire is divided into five
categories:
Table 3.4. Category of Questionnaire Score
Category Score
Strongly Disagree ( SD) 1
Disagree ( D) 2
Neutral ( N) 3
Agree ( A) 4
Strongly Agree ( A) 5
After the students completed the questionnaire, the researcher tabulated each
student's overall score by category. There were 28 questions in total. Every category was
divided into groups by the researcher. After that, calculate the percentage. Determine the
percentage of alternative respondents' answers using the following formula:
Sudijono(2012).
Explanation:
P= the amount of percentage of alternative answers

F= the frequency of respondents’ alternative answers
N= the amount of research samples
After finding the mean score of the students' responses, the writer interpreted them.
Interpretation of Mean Score;
Mean Score Interpretation
1.00-1.80 Very Low
1.81-2.60 Low
2.61-3.40 Medium
3.41-4.20 High
4.21-5.00 Very High
Habibi et al, (2017)
After getting the questionnaire data and interpreted them, the researcher goes for
the next step, the researcher interviewed the participants and analyzed the data with using
the word cloud (https://www.wordclouds.com/ ). Last, the researcher makes conclusions
from the result of the analysis.
CHAPTER IV
RESEARCH FINDING
4.1 Data Description
This research was conducted with qualitative research. The objective of this
study was to find out the third semester students’ difficulties in Essay Writing at English
Department of Universitas Islam Riau. The result of this data was taken from the third
semester class, which amount is 15 people. This study has two ways of data collection
technique they are Interview and Questionnaire. There are seven indicators based on
Brown’ theories in the questionnaires. From the questionnaire it can be showed the
difficulties that students faced while learn Essay Writing. And for the interviews there are
six questions that related with the factors of students difficulties in Essay Writing. In the
other hand, interviews aimed to know the factors of students have difficulties in Essay
Writing.
After getting the data, the writer calculated the data (per sub-indicators)
using scoring diagram and described it one by one. After that, the writer showed the final
results of the third semester students' difficulties in Essay Writing category such as 1.00-
1.80= Very Low, 1.82-2.60= Low, 2.61-3.40= Medium, 3.41-4.20= High, 4.21-5.00= Very
High Habibi et al (2017).

Table4.1TheStudents’DifficultiesinEssayWriting Table
Table Options
SD D N A SA
F % F % F % F % F %
4.1 1 6,7 3 20 0 0 9 60 2 13,3

4.2 4 26,7 8 53,3 1 6,7 1 6,7 1 6,7
4.3 0 0 3 20 1 6,7 8 53,3 3 20
4.4 4 26,7 5 33,3 1 6,7 3 20 2 13,3
4.5 2 13,3 5 33,3 1 6,7 3 20 4 26,7
4.6 2 13,3 3 20 0 0 4 26,7 6 40
4.7 0 0 1 6,7 2 13,3 5 33,3 7 46,7
4.8 3 20 2 13,3 0 0 6 40 4 26,7
4.9 0 0 2 13,3 1 6,7 2 13,3 10 66,7
4.10 1 6,7 3 20 1 6,7 8 53,3 2 13,3
4.11 0 0 1 6,7 2 13,3 6 40 6 40
4.12 1 6,7 2 13,3 0 0 3 20 9 60
4.13 5 33,3 5 33,3 2 13,3 3 20 0 0
4.14 1 6,7 5 33,3 0 0 6 40 3 20
4.15 0 0 2 13,3 2 13,3 6 40 5 33,3
4.16 2 13,3 7 46,7 3 20 3 20 0 0
4.17 2 13,3 4 26,7 0 0 9 60 0 0
4.18 3 20 8 53,3 2 13,3 2 13,3 0 0
4.19 2 13,3 3 20 2 13,3 7 46,7 1 6,7
4.20 5 33,3 5 33,3 1 6,7 3 20 1 6,7
4.21 2 13,3 2 13,3 1 6,7 5 33,3 5 33,3
4.22 2 13,3 7 46,7 1 6,7 3 20 2 13,3
4.23 0 0 5 33,3 1 6,7 4 26,7 5 33,3
4.24 2 13,3 3 20 2 13,3 5 33,3 3 20
4.25 7 46,7 5 33,3 1 6,7 2 13,3 0 0
4.26 6 40 8 53,3 0 0 1 6,7 0 0
4.27 5 33,3 7 46,7 0 0 2 13,3 1 6,7
4.28 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 60 6 40
Total 62 80 114 120 28 20 128 480 88 240
Mean 2.2 8 4.1 17.1 1 2 4.6 34.3 3.1 18.5
From the table result above, the highest percentage is 34.3% which 4.6
respondents who choose “Agree”. It proves that students have struggle in Essay Writing
and they got difficulties while writing.

4.2 Data Analysis
Here are the tables of each sub indicator from all the seven indicators
with the percentage of the third semester students’ difficulties in Essay Writing:
4.2.1 The Difficulties Faced by The Third Semester in Essay writing
In this part, the researcher discussed seven indicators about students’
difficulties in essay writing, namely;
a. Poor Organization
b. Word Choice
c. Grammar
d. Spelling
e. Supporting Ideas
f. Punctuation
g. Capitalization
On students' difficulties in writing essays, poor organization is the first
indicator in this discussion. The statements of the questionnaire below also told us
that its result is in agreeing category for this issue. For further detail see diagrams
below:
1. Getting difficulties in writing techniques (brainstorming)
Diagram 4.1 Questionnaire’s Statement Result No. 1

Based on table 4.1 it can be seen that the “getting difficulties in writing
techniques (brainstorming)” statement in general, the dominant respondents’
answer was in the category of "Strongly Agree". From the 15 respondents, the
"Strongly Disagree” has 1 respondent with 6,7% percentage, 3 respondents with
percentage of 20% answered "Disagree", the "Neutral" has no percentage, 9
respondents with percentage 60% with answered “Agree”, and 2 respondents
with percentage of 13,3% answered "Strongly Agree”.
2. Having poorly writing to organize sometimes fail to select a topic
Based on diagram 4.2 it can be seen that the “having poorly writing to
organize sometimes fail to select a topic” statement in general, the dominant
respondents’ answer was in the category of "Disagree". From the 15 respondents,

the "Strongly Disagree” category has 4 respondents with percentage 26,7%, 8
respondents with percentage of 53,3% answered "Disagree", 1 respondent with
percentage of 6,7% answered "Neutral", 1 respondent with percentage 6,7% with
answered “Agree”, and 1 respondent with percentage of 6,7% answered
"Strongly Agree”.
3. Making an outline before writing
Based on diagram 4.3 it can be seen that the “Making an outline
before writing” statement in general, the dominant respondents’ answer was in the
category of "Agree". From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly Disagree” category
has no percentage, 3 respondents with percentage of 20% answered "Disagree", 1
respondent with percentage of 6,7% answered "Neutral", 8 respondents with
percentage 53,3% with answered “Agree”, and 3 respondents with percentage of
20% answered "Strongly Agree”.
4. Making mind mapping in writing

Based on diagram 4.4 it can be seen that the “Making mind mapping in
writing” statement in general, the dominant respondents’ answer was in the
category of "Disagree". From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly Disagree” has 4
respondents with percentage 26,7%, category of “Disagree” has 5 respondents
with percentage of 33,3% , 1 respondent with percentage of 6,7% answered
"Neutral", 3 respondents with percentage 20% with answered “Agree”, and 2
respondents with percentage of 13,3% answered "Strongly Agree”.
In the second part of the indicator is the students' difficulty in word choice.
For further detail see the diagrams below:
5. Always using the simple words in writing.

Based on diagram 4.5 it can be seen that the “always using the simple
words in writing” statement in general, the dominant respondents’ answer was in
the category of "Disagree". From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly Disagree”
category has 2 respondents with percentage of 13,3% , 5 respondents with
percentage of 33,3% answered "Disagree", 1 respondents with percentage of 6,7%
answered "Neutral", 3 respondents with percentage 20% with answered “Agree”,
and 4 respondents with percentage of 26,7% answered "Strongly Agree”.
6. By using the simple words in writing make me more confident.
Based on diagram 4.6 it can be seen that the “by using the simple
words in writing make me more confident” statement in general, the dominant
respondents’ answer was in the category of "Strongly Agree". From the 15
respondents, the "Strongly Disagree” category has 2 respondents with percentage
of 13,3%, 3 respondents with percentage of 20% answered "Disagree", category
"Neutral" has no percentage, 4 respondents with percentage 26,7% with answered
“Agree”, and 6 respondents with percentage of 40% answered “Strongly Agree”.
7. Lack of vocabularies makes me get confusing in writing.

Based on diagram 4.7 it can be seen that the “lack of vocabularies
make me get confusing in writing” statement in general, the dominant
respondents, the "Strongly Disagree” category has no percentage, 1 respondents
with percentage of 6,7% answered "Disagree", 2 respondents with percentage of
13,3% answered "Neutral", 5 respondents with percentage 33,3% with answered
“Agree”, and 7 respondents with percentage of 46,7% answered "Strongly
Agree”.
8. Using new vocabularies take long time
Based on diagram 4.8 it can be seen that the “using new vocabularies
take long time” statement in general, the dominant respondents’ answer was in the
category of "Agree". From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly Disagree” with 20%
and got 3 respondents, 2 respondents with percentage of 13,3% answered
"Disagree", "Neutral" has no percentage, 6 respondents with percentage 40% with
answered “Agree”, and 4 respondents with percentage of 26,7% answered
"Strongly Agree”.
In the third part of the indicator is the difficulty of students in
grammar. For further detail see the diagrams below:
9. Frequent problem in writing is to use correct of tenses.
Based on diagram 4.9 it can be seen that the “frequent problem in
writing is to use correct of tenses” statement in general, the dominant
respondents, the "Strongly Disagree” has no respondent, 2 respondents with
percentage of 13,3% answered "Disagree", "Neutral" with 6,7% and has 1
respondent, 2 respondents with percentage 13,3% with answered “Agree”, and 10
respondents with percentage of 66,7% answered "Strongly Agree”.
10. Getting difficulties using passive voice in writing.

Based on diagram 4.10 it can be seen that the “getting difficulties
using passive voice in writing” statement in general, the dominant respondents’
answer was in the category of " Agree". From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly
Disagree” with 6,7% and has 1 respondent, 3 respondents with percentage of 20%
answered "Disagree", "Neutral" with 6,7% and has 1 respondent, 8 respondents
with percentage 53,3% with answered “Agree”, and 2 respondents with
percentage of 13,3% answered "Strongly Agree”.
11. Having poor grammar make my writing not so good.
Based on diagram 4.11 it can be seen that the “having poor grammar
make my writing not so good” statement in general, the dominant respondents’

answer was in the category of " Agree" and has the same percentage with “
Strongly Agree”. From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly Disagree” has no
respondent, 1 respondent with percentage of 6,7% answered "Disagree",
"Neutral" with 13,3% and has 2 respondents, 6 respondents with percentage 40%
with answered “Agree”, and 6 respondents with percentage of 40% answered
"Strongly Agree”.
12. Grammar makes me take long time to put the correct tenses which
appropriate to the event.
Based on diagram 4.12 it can be seen that the “grammar makes me
take long time to put the correct tenses which appropriate to the event” statement
in general, the dominant respondents’ answer was in the category of "Strongly
Agree". From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly Disagree” with 6,7% and has 1
respondent, 2 respondents with percentage of 13,3% answered "Disagree",
"Neutral" has no respondent, 3 respondents with percentage 20% with answered
“Agree”, and 9 respondents with percentage of 60% answered "Strongly Agree”.
In the fourth part of the indicator is the difficulty of students in

spelling. For further details see the diagrams below;
13. Spelling of word is not important in writing.
Based on diagram 4.13 it can be seen that the “spelling of word is not
important in writing” statement in general, the dominant respondents’ answer was
in the category of "Disagree". From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly Disagree”
with 33,3% and has 5 respondents, 5 respondents with percentage of 53,3%
answered "Disagree", "Neutral" has 2 respondents with 13,3%, 3 respondents with
percentage 20% with answered “Agree”, and "Strongly Agree” has no
percentage.
14. Getting difficulties in checking spelling of new words.

Based on diagram 4.14 it can be seen that the “getting difficulties in
checking spelling of new words” statement in general, the dominant respondents’
answer was in the category of "Agree". From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly
Disagree” with 6,7% and has 1 respondent, 5 respondents with percentage of
53,3% answered "Disagree", "Neutral" has no respondent, 6 respondents with
percentage 40% with answered “Agree”, and "Strongly Agree” has 3 respondents
with 20%.
15. Review your writing to check spelling of the words.
Based on diagram 4.15 it can be seen that the “review your writing to
check spelling of the words” statement in general, the dominant respondents’
answer was in the category of "Agree". From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly
Disagree” has no respondent, 2 respondents with percentage of 13,3% answered
"Disagree", "Neutral" has 2 respondents with 13,3%, 6 respondents with
with 33,3%.
16. Checking spelling of words take long time for me.
Based on diagram 4.16 it can be seen that the “checking spelling of
words take longtime for me” statement in general, the dominant respondents’
answer was in the category of "Disagree". From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly
Disagree” has 2 respondents with 13,3%, 7 respondents with percentage of 46,7%
answered "Disagree", "Neutral" with 20% and has 3 respondents, 3 respondents
with percentage 20% with answered “Agree”, and "Strongly Agree” has no
respondent.
In the fifth part of the indicator is the difficulty of students in

supporting ideas. For further details see the diagrams below
17. I face many problems constructing the words in making supporting

the ideas.
Based on diagram 4.17 it can be seen that the “I face many problems
constructing the words in making supporting the ideas” statement in general, the
dominant respondents’ answer was in the category of "Agree". From the 15
respondents, the "Strongly Disagree” has 2 respondents with 13,3%, 4
respondents with percentage of 26,7% answered "Disagree", "Neutral" has no
respondent, 9 respondents with percentage 60% with answered “Agree”, and
"Strongly Agree” has no respondent.
18. I am difficult to define what items that related to the topic.

Based on diagram 4.18 it can be seen that the “I am difficult to define
what items that related to the topic” statement in general, the dominant
respondents’ answer was in the category of "Disagree". From the 15 respondents,
the "Strongly Disagree” has 3 respondents with 20%, 8 respondents with
percentage of 53,3% answered "Disagree", "Neutral" has 2 respondents with
13,3%, 2 respondents with percentage 13,3% with answered “Agree”, and
"Strongly Agree” has no respondent.
19. Getting confused and having no idea in supporting sentence.
Based on diagram 4.19 it can be seen that the “getting confused and
having no idea in supporting sentence” statement in general, the dominant
respondents’ answer was in the category of "Agree". From the 15 respondents, the
"Strongly Disagree” has 2 respondents with 13,3%, 3 respondents with percentage
of 20% answered "Disagree", "Neutral" has 2 respondents with 13,3%, 7
respondents with percentage 46,7% with answered “Agree”, and "Strongly
Agree” has 1 respondent with 6,7%.
20. I have difficulties to find the source. Not only from the internet but
also the book. I am lazy to read some books. Because I should make a
summary from the book that I have read. To make the idea to be
coherent. It is very difficult.
Based on diagram 4.20 it can be seen that the “I have difficulties to
find the source. not only from the internet but also the book. I am lazy to read
some books. Because I should make a summary from the book that I have read. To
make the idea to be coherent, it is very difficult” statement in general, the
dominant respondents’ answer was in the category of "Disagree" and same with
“Strongly Disagree”. From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly Disagree” has 5
respondents with 33,3%, 5 respondents with percentage of 33,3% answered
"Disagree", "Neutral" has 1 respondent with 6,7%, 3 respondents with percentage
20% with answered “Agree”, and "Strongly Agree” has 1 respondent with 6,7%.
In the next part of the indicator is the difficulty of students in

punctuation. For further details see the diagrams below
21. Feeling confused to put the correct punctuation
Based on diagram 4.21 it can be seen that the “feeling confused to put
the correct punctuation” statement in general, the dominant respondents’ answer
was in the category of "Agree" and same with “Strongly Agree”. From the 15
respondents with percentage of 13,3% answered "Disagree", "Neutral" has 1
respondents with 6,7%, 5 respondents with percentage 33,3% with answered
“Agree”, and "Strongly Agree” has 5 respondents with 33,3%.
22. Getting confused to put between full stop and comma.
Based on diagram 4.22 it can be seen that the “getting confused to put
between full stop and comma” statement in general, the dominant respondents’
answer was in the category of "Disagree". From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly
answered "Disagree", "Neutral" has 1 respondents with 6,7%, 3 respondents with
with 13,3%.
23. Facing trouble in using apostrophes in contraction and possessive.
Based on diagram 4.23 it can be seen that the “facing trouble in using
apostrophes in contraction and possessive” statement in general, the dominant
respondents’ answer was in the category of "Disagree" and same with “Strongly
Agree”. From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly Disagree” has no respondent, 5
respondents with percentage of 33,3% answered "Disagree", "Neutral" has 1
“Agree”, and "Strongly Agree” has 5 respondents with 33,3%.
24. Getting confused to put comma or conjunction to continue the next

sentence.

comma or conjunction to continue the next sentence” statement in general, the
dominant respondents’ answer was in the category of "Agree”. From the 15
respondents with percentage of 20% answered "Disagree", "Neutral" has 2
“Agree”, and "Strongly Agree” has 3 respondents with 20%.
In the last part of the indicator is the difficulty of students in
capitalization. For further details see the diagrams below:
25. Capitalization is not important in writing
Based on diagram 4.25 it can be seen that the “capitalization is not

important in writing” statement in general, the dominant respondents’ answer was
in the category of "Strongly Disagree”. From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly
answered "Disagree", "Neutral" has 1 respondent with 6,7%, 2 respondents with
percentage 13,3% with answered “Agree”, and "Strongly Agree” has no
respondent.
26. Sometimes forget to put capitalization after full stop.
Based on diagram 4.26 it can be seen that the “sometimes forget to put
capitalization after full stop” statement in general, the dominant respondents’
answer was in the category of " Disagree”. From the 15 respondents, the "Strongly
Disagree” has 6 respondents with 40%, 8 respondents with percentage of 53,3%
answered "Disagree", "Neutral" has no respondent, 1 respondents with percentage
6,7% with answered “Agree”, and "Strongly Agree” has no respondent.
27. Getting confused to put capitalization in the first letter name of city.

capitalization in the first letter name of city” statement in general, the dominant
respondents’ answer was in the category of "Disagree”. From the 15 respondents,
the "Strongly Disagree” has 5 respondents with 33,3%, 7 respondents with
percentage of 46,7% answered "Disagree", "Neutral" has no respondent, 2
respondents with percentage 13,3% with answered “Agree”, and "Strongly
Agree” has 1 respondent with 6,7%.
28. Capitalization is needed in the first letter of person’s name.
Based on diagram 4.28 it can be seen that the “capitalization is needed
in the first letter of person’s name” statement in general, the dominant
respondents’ answer was in the category of "Agree”. From the 15 respondents, the
"Strongly Disagree” has no respondent, "Disagree" has no respondent, "Neutral"

has no respondent, 9 respondents with percentage 60% with answered “Agree”,
and "Strongly Agree” has 6 respondents with 40%.
Those were all of the result from the questionnaire which were consist 28
statements that grouped in seven indicators. It aimed to analyze of essay writing
difficulties of the third semester students in English language education of UIR.
From the result of the data above, the researcher interpreted they based on the
interpretation data in chapter 3 pages 33. It can be seen as follows;
Indicators Mean Score Interpretation
Word Choice/Vocabulary 4.10 High
Grammar 3.88 High
Organization 3.78 High
Supporting Ideas 3.63 High
Punctuation 3.42 High
Spelling 3.25 Medium
Capitalization 2.80 Medium
Based on the result above, the highest percentage of student’s difficulties
in Essay Writing is 4.10 which interpretation “High”. Then the second highest
percentage is grammar 3.88 which interpretation “High”.
The data above have similar results with the relevant study researched by
Agdia and Syafei (2020). Which in his research entitled "Kinds of writing
difficulties in academic writing faced by English teachers of SMKN 8 Padang”
the finding also showed that the each faces difficulties in vocabulary and
mechanics. It was proved by the average score of those aspects that were fair to
poor. It also support by this research, that proved the difficulties students in
vocabulary and grammar.
4.2.2 The results of qualitative data that the researcher produced
with 10 selected students.
In this section, various explanations have been used to answer research
questions about problems in essay writing. This finding was developed from the
results of interviews with prospective students. Below is a transcript of the results
of the interviews with the prospective students.
Table 1. Lack of Knowledge about Writing Stages.
Question: Do you know the sequence in the writing stages?
Interviewee Speech
APS Actually I don’t really know and forgot some parts of writing
stages.
MB Yes I know the sequence in the writing.
DA Yes i know the sequence in the writing but not for a whole
writing that i know.
FAA I don’t really understand much about the sequence of writing
stages.
AT I don’t really know about the sequence in the writing subject.
JS I don’t really know it.

LN To be honest, I don’t understand it and I prefer to write on my
own techniques.
MI No, I don’t have an idea about the sequence of the writing
stages.
MM Yes I know a little bit of the sequence in the writing stages.
Firstly i need to do the research, and then find the topic theme,
and next revise the writing.
MA I don’t know.
RPA I don’t really know it for honestly. I am used to writing only
with the knowledge I have, and what I feel is necessary and
not necessary
RE Yes I know, but sometimes I need to reread again the rules in
writing.
SN I don’t really know much about it. Because I only write as best
I can and then discuss it with the lecturer.
Table 2. Lack of Learners’ Motivation
Question: Do you like Essay Writing Subject? Give your reason!
Interviewee Speech
APS I don’t like essay writing subject, but i like writing. I do love
in writing but not in subject because it’s too formal and many
kinds to understand.
MB I don’t like writing subjects because writing is the most
difficult subjects for me.
DA Yes I like writing, because it’s fun for me, and i believe what i
write today someday it will be a prayer for me later.
FAA I think it’s depending on the lecturer, because for me the way
teacher give the best explanation and good treatments for us, it
will give the good impact also.
AT I don’t like essay writing, because I prefer to improve my
speaking than my writing.
JS Yes I like essay writing subjects, because there are things that
i can do or i learn from the writing like a new vocabulary, a
patterns and i have to consider the right sentences. I also have
motivation from my lecturer that is ma’am shalawati.
LN Honestly I like writing subjects, but in some parts I don’t like
when there are many assignments that lecturer given to us. It
makes us force any energy just in one subject.
MI I don’t really like writing, because this subject too difficult
and i need to focus on. And I have a little bit motivation
surrounded. I still lack on my grammar, and also lack on
vocabulary.
MM Actually I don’t really like essay writing, but sometimes if the
topic that lecturer give to me is something I loved, I definitely
do that much better.
MA Sometimes I feel not loved in writing. It’s hard to me to learn
the writing. So, I can say that I don’t like writing because it’s
too hard to me. My grammar is not good to produce as well
writing.
RPA I think I love essay writing, because i can explore myself
while writing. I also learn more about the grammar, new
vocabulary and so on. By writing I motivated to write on diary
or daily life of me.
RE I don’t like the essay writing subject, because I have a lack on
grammar, less vocabulary and don’t know how to write well.
And I have a less motivation in learn writing
SN Yes, I like essay writing because it can improve my grammar
and my vocabulary. And I have a motivation from my sister
that has a same major in Thailand, so that’s make me
motivated as well.
Table 3. Inadequate Time
Question: What do you think about the schedule of Essay Writing? Is

it appropriate to produce good writing at the time? Do you feel any different if
there is essay writing in the morning like your body or physical situation?
Interviewee Speech
APS I don’t really care about the schedule in essay writing subject,
because the point is how the situation in the class. How the
learning process itself. Because when the teacher teaching so
monotone i feel bored at the time. And the time isn’t
appropriate
MB The time for me it’s quite appropriate. And also the lecturer
also did well to teach us in the class.
DA I think for the time of my schedule is right. And for me, I’d
better to learn at night before i go to sleep. Its make me so
much focus.
FAA For the time, I think its need much time to do the writing.
Because of writing for me not as easy as that, in writing we
need to think the appropriate vocabulary, grammar, and
information. And i think it’s better to me to have afternoon
schedule.
AT For the time I think is appropriate. And also for me to produce
a good writing at the morning, because my mind will run well
and still fresh to think more.
JS I think the time of essay writing schedule is still less for me.
And it makes me only learn independently without know the
right and wrong way I do. For me in the morning the best time
to have a schedule like essay writing, because it has impact of
my body and my mind to produce good writing. consider the
right sentences
LN Personally I think all the time is okay to learn essay writing
subjects, but for me my skill is depend on my preparing
myself when I ready to write and my brain is okay and also the
time it’s perfectly.
MI The time is enough for me, I mean not too short and not long.
If it has a long time will make me feel confused and feel bored
while learning essay writing. So the time that lecturer give is
perfect timing.
MM I think the time that lecturer given to us is enough to produce a
good writing. So for the perfect time to do the essay writing, I
think it doesn’t matter in which conditions. It is dependent on
yours.
MA For the time I prefer to learn essay writing in the morning,
because I still have a fresh mind and easy to catch the
knowledge. And I think the essay writing schedule have
appropriate time. But I still need more longer time to learn
essay writing
RPA In my opinion the time that has given to us not appropriate,
because the time is afternoon that’s make my friends and I feel
sleepy while learning the essay writing.
RE The essay writing schedule I think is enough. And I prefer to
have a time of essay writing in the morning, because my mind
still fresh when I get up.
SN The schedule of essay writing is still less for me, because I
need to ask so many things that I confused. And the time that
lecturer gives to learn essay writing not appropriate. I feel very
better if the schedule in the morning.
Table 4. Lack of Practice
Question: How many times your lecturer gives the opportunity to
write one topic or title? Have you practice your essay writing at home? How about
in the class? Do you have enough time to practice your writing?
Interviewee Speech
APS My lecturer only gives 30 minutes in the class to write one
topics. And the end of the time we discussed that topic
together. I do practice writing at home also, but not in detail.
Such as for grammar and improving my vocabulary. I always
give my time to practice of any skills in writing.

MB Honestly, I don’t practice my skill in writing at home. Because
I think the time to learn it is enough in the class. So, I will
focus on do the tasks on any subjects.
DA For the practice is still lack for me, because too busy to do the
assignments. And also lazy to think and try by myself because
there is a Google translate for now, and makes me not really
care about this writing.
FAA Unfortunately, I rarely practice it alone at home to improve
my writing skills. For the opportunity that lecturer given to us
is fine, because the lecturer give the extra time at home before
do the meeting in one topic.
AT For one topic the time given by my lecturer on the subject of
essay writing is 2 hours or more. In class we write and discuss
it together. However, to do practical writing again at home, I
rarely do it. I rarely to practically write.
JS The opportunity of time used is around 30-1hours, it more
than enough but it also depends of the person itself. They will
do practice consistently or not to have a good skills in writing.
I always take my time at home to do practically every English
skill, including writing. I do practice every night before go to
sleep.
LN My lecturer gives us one topic a week and it must be

completed by a predetermined time limit. In writing I only
focus on doing it when I'm in essay writing class. when I'm at
home or at other times, I don't have anything practical to do
and even hone my writing skills
MI In writing class, I am very confident to do it, because I can ask
the lecturers and even discuss with my classmates. However, I
rarely practice my writing outside of class hours because, I
still can't practice writing essays alone, so I need a friend to
explain and practice with me.
MM I don't practice writing essays when I'm at home or even in
any other free time. I feel I've had enough in class. Because to
do the practical itself is very difficult for me because, as I said
before that I don't have enough good intentions in writing.
MA As I said before, the time given to learn to write essays is still
not enough for me because in writing I need a lot of practice
during class. Because I still feel unsatisfied with the abilities I
have when studying essay writing in class. But, gosh, when I
don't repeat my skills at home either, I don't practice at all.
RPA For me I don’t have enough time to practice at home, also in
the class. But unfortunately, I only do the practice while in the
class.
RE Every learning the lecturer always gives the opportunity to us.

And i also do the practice writing at home because there’s a
lecturer to help. But I don’t do practice at my home. I feel
quite enough to learn writing in the class.
SN My lecturer has given the opportunity time to me. Because in
the class have a less of time, I do practice writing at home.
Table 5. Teachers’ Feedback
Question: How many essays that you have learned during this
semester? Is there any feedback from your lecturer? Is it helpful for you?
Interviewee Speech
APS Only two kinds of essays that I learned in essay writing
subjects, and I don’t get the helpful feedback from my lecturer
so I did it by myself only.
MB I don’t really know how many essays I did, but for me the
lecturer who teach writing subject is good. And the lecturer
also gives us the helpful feedback while learning.
DA In every meeting we usually practice one topic in one paper,
the maximum is around 3-6 sentences. And the lecturer has
given the good feedback while in the class and that’s so
helpful for me.
FAA I learned two or maybe three essays, and we always have a

time to discuss about the topic. Sometimes I am confused and
the lecturer has explanation to me. The lecturer’s feedback is
helpful for me.
AT We learned 2-3 kinds of essay writing that I remember. For the
lecturer’s feedback is helpful for me because the lecturer
always give the corrections when we have a wrong way, and
also answers the questions of us in the class.
JS The lecturer’s feedback is perfect, because the lecturer before
start the class always give us the motivation and makes the
class not to bore.
LN I can’t count the kinds of essay writing used. And the lecturer
always gives us the feedback when one topic is finished and
also has the evaluation. It’s so helpful for me so far.
MI The lecturer’s feedback is very helpful for me. Because we
can freely ask the lecturer about what we don’t know in that
subject. I forgot about how many essays that I learned.
MM We have 3 kinds of essay writing. Descriptive, narrative, cause
and effect essay. So I think the feedback of my lecturer is
good. When we have a problem in something, the lecturer will
re-explain it slowly.
MA I don’t really remember the kinds of essay writing itself. But
so far I feel the lecturer’s feedback is very helpful for me as a

time that we have.
RPA To learn writing there are many things to understand, so it’s
need more time in the class. And for the lecturer’s feedbacks
also have a impact from the short time, so I don’t feel satisfied
about the feedback.
RE The lecturer gives us the best feedback when we have
confused things while writing.
SN The kinds of essay writing I learned; narrative, recount,
descriptive and new items essay. While in the class i have
practice those essays in several times. So the lecturer also
teaches us in good feedback.
4.3 Discussion
To rank the list of factors that influence the difficulties of students in essay
writing, the researcher used a word generator to find out which factors are
common with each classification in this study. According to Jin (2016), a word
cloud is a visual representation of language or text data that uses a weighted list.
In this study, we employed the size of the typeface in the frequency type denotes
the number of terms in the collection. The frequency type is the most fundamental
in text data mining. There are some online word cloud generators available right
now, such as "Wordclouds.com" and "jasondavies.com." Word clouds (or tag
clouds) are popular, entertaining ways to visualize text data in a graphical format;
however, we believe they can also be valuable assessment tools.

It supports by, DePaolo and Wilkinson (2014) state that, Word clouds
can be used to analyze any type of text data, such as essays, short answers, or
written responses to surveys or opinion polls. From the results of the interview, it
was found that lack of motivation was the main factor that students had difficulty
in writing essays. Because they do not like the subject and feel they are still
lacking in grammar and vocab. This is the same as the result of Maysuroh (2017),
one of the biggest factors in students’ problem is low motivation.
4.3.1 Lack of Learners’ Motivation
This is the highest factor that influences students to have difficulty in
writing essays, students' motivation in essay writing class was discussed. The
majority of participants stated that they dislike essay writing because it is difficult
for them to find the suitable grammar and vocabulary structures, and they are
unsure how to organize words in their sentences. Then there were four students
who enjoyed essay writing subjects but did not enjoy writing in the formal way
that an essay writing subject requires. The conclusion is that students who lack
motivation in this topic are experiencing some writing difficulties. Other
individuals appreciate the essay writing subject because they prefer writing about
their daily lives. As the result show about the most common appeared in this item
are [don’t], [writing], [like].

4.3.2 Lack of Knowledge about Writing Stages
In the first question of interview is about students’ knowledge in writing
stages. But, lack of knowledge is the second highest factor in the results of this
interview. There are ten students said they don’t know about the sequence in the
writing stages. It means the students still have a lack in this part. Mostly students
said don’t know and only writing with their own techniques in essay writing.
4.3.3 Lack of Practice
The research revealed that lecturers allow students to compose one
idea or title for one hour. Furthermore, the majority of students do not practice
their writing at home, despite the fact that doing so will increase their overall
quality. In addition, three students practice at home before going to bed. However,
the majority of students does not practice at home and only study essay writing in
class. They are bored, and some of them claim that they have other assignments to
complete at home. As the result show about the most common appeared in this
item are [practice], [don’t], [home].
4.3.4 Inadequate Time
And, according to the data from the interview, the majority of students
claimed that they are comfortable with the schedule time. Furthermore, three
participants have expressed dissatisfaction with the essay writing timetable.
Because there isn't enough time to write a good essay. They, on the other hand,
feel sleepy and tired if they attend an essay writing class in the afternoon rather
than the morning. As the result show about the most common appeared in this
item are [time], [appropriate], [writing].

4.3.5 Teachers’ Feedback
The next question revealed that the participants have learned two
different types of essays this semester. There are two types of essays: descriptive
and argumentative. The lecturer has given all of the student’s favorable feedback.
All of the students agreed that it was really beneficial to revise their writing skills,
and that the lecturer provided constant feedback and inspiration throughout the
essay writing process. As a result, the participants have responded well to the
lecturer evaluation. As the result show about the most common appeared in this
item are [helpful], [feedback], [lecturer].

4.3.6 The Biggest Factors of Students ‘difficulties in Writing
The data from all student responses revealed that the most common
reason students struggle to write essays is a lack of motivation. Students are
uninterested in learning how to write essays. The most of these students dislike
essays because they find them excessively challenging. They are lacking in
understanding, particularly in terms of grammar and structure, as well as
vocabulary competence. As the result show about the most common appeared in
this item are [lack], [motivation], [lecturer], [problems].
BAB V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
This chapter was divided into two sections: conclusion and suggestion.
The conclusion of data drawn from the results and discussions of the data gathered
in order to answer the research questions. The recommendation are presented to

the students, the lecturer, and the future researcher.
5.1 Conclusion
This chapter presented the researcher conclusion about essay writing
difficulties of third semester students in English language education of Universitas
Islam Riau. This is the answer research questions “What are the difficulties faced
by the third semester students of English Language Education of UIR ? and What
are the factors of students’ difficulties in writing an essay ?.
This research focused in seven indicators which adopted from brown
(2010), the seven points of students’ difficulties were Organization, Word
Choice/Vocabulary, Grammar, Spelling, Supporting Ideas, Punctuation, and
Capitalization.
The lowest percentage may mean that there are not too many difficult that
are capitalization, which is 2.80%. In addition, the spelling goes up to 3.25%, next
the punctuationgoes up to 3.42%. Then supporting ideas 3.63%, and then
organization with 3.78%, grammar with 3.88%, which the second higher
percentage of students problems. Surprisingly, Word choice/vocabulary got the
highest percentage, which is 4.10%.
It shows this percentage is the highest of the existing student problems.
With this data, it gives another view to the researcher because, at first, the
researcher assumed that it was grammar that would get the highest percentage of
difficulty for students.

Result of interview showed that, most of students got lack of motivation in
learning Essay Writing. Students are uninterested in learning more about essay
writing. As a result, a lecturer's responsibility in delivering inspiration and
enjoyable lessons for students is very necessary.
5.2 Suggestion
The researcher provided several suggestions as a result of this research.
Those suggestions can be taken into consideration by writing instructors or
teachers, students, and future researchers who are interested in conducting similar
studies. The writer would like to provide the following suggestions based on the
findings of the study:
a. Suggestion for Students
In this part, the researcher will discuss a few points that may perhaps aid
students in their writing. They can analyze what the most common essay writing
difficulties are. Furthermore, they can improve the quality of their writing when
they have overcome the problems of essay writing. Furthermore, they are aware of
not just the difficulties, but also the factors that influence to students' writing
difficulties. As a result, it is quite beneficial for students to identify the factors and
determine why something occurred. They can develop and produce better writing
for the next assignment after they understand their difficulty.
b. Suggestion for the Teacher
The teacher can create extra exercises for students to improve their
writing because more writing assignments will help them grow. Hopefully, the
students will get more experience and improve their critical thinking skills by
exploring more ideas in writing because they will be able to apply what they have
learned in class. Furthermore, the majority of students stated that they lack
motivation to write. As a result, the teacher may make the class enjoyable and
encourage students to like writing. In the end, the student's writing ability will
improve.
c. Suggestion for Future Researcher
For other researchers, it is preferable to explore new difficulties in
essay writing and to provide solutions to faults committed by students when it
comes to the subject of essay writing.

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AN ANALYSIS OF ESSAY WRITING DIFFICULTIES FACED BY THE

THIRD SEMESTER STUDENTS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION

NUR ANISA ZAKIAH

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHER

TRAINING AND EDUCATION ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF RIAU

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1

1.1 Background of the Problem..............................................................................................1

1.2 Identification of the Problem ...........................................................................................6

1.3 Focus of the Problem..................................................................................................... ....6

1.4 Research Question........................................................................................................... 7

1.5 Objective of the Research.................................................................................................7

1.6 Significance of the Research.............................................................................................7

1.7 Definition of the Key Terms.............................................................................................8

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE...............................................9

2.1 Relevance Theories ..........................................................................................................9

2.1.1 Definition of Writing......................................................................................................9

2.1.2 The Purpose of Writing................................................................................................1 2

2.1.3 The Process of Writing ................................................................................................13

2.1.5 The Type of Essay Writing .........................................................................................16

2.1.6 Students’ Writing Problems ........................................................................................18

2.1.7 The Factors of Problem in Writing .............................................................................19

2.2 Relevance Studies ..........................................................................................................22

2.3 Conceptual Framework.................................................................................................. 23

2.4 Assumption ...................................................................................................................24

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..........................................................25

3.1 Research Design............................................................................................................. 25

3.2 Location and Time of the Research ................................................................................25

3.3 Participant of the Research ............................................................................................2 6

3.4 Instrument of the Research .............................................................................................26

3.5 Data Collection Technique .............................................................................................31

3.6 Data Analysis Technique ...............................................................................................31

CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FINDINGS………………………………………………..34

4.1 Data Description………………………………………………….……….…………....34

4.2 Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………………..36

4.3 Data Discussion………………………………………………………….…………......67

CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION………………………………....74

Table 3.2 The Blue Print of Questionnaire…………….……………………………31

Table 3.3 The list of Interview…………………………………...…………………33

Table 3.4 Category of Questionnaire Score……………………………….………...36

Table 4.1 The students’ difficulties in essay writing…………………………….….38

Table 4.2 Interpretation Data………………………………………………………..58

Diagram 4.2 The percentage of students’ difficulties in poor organization…………39

Diagram 4.3 The percentage of students’ difficulties in word of choice .................... 42

Diagram 4.4 The percentage of students’ difficulties in grammatical………………45

Diagram 4.5 The percentage of students’ difficulties in spelling……………………47

Diagram 4.6 The percentage of students’ difficulties in supporting ideas………..…50

Diagram 4.7 The percentage of students’ difficulties in punctuation……………….53

Diagram 4.8 The percentage of students’ difficulties in capitalization………….......55

Figure 4. 2. 2 The responses of students in lack of learners’ motivation...............60

Figure 4. 2. 3 The responses of students in inadequate time…….……………….63

Figure 4. 3. 4 The responses of students in lack of practice……………………..65

Figure 4.3. 5 The responses of students in teachers’ feedback…………………..68

APPENDIX 1 Research Questionnaire…………………………………….…….79

APPENDIX 3 Script of Interview…………………………………………….…87

Nur Anisa Zakiah. 2022. An Analysis of Essay Writing Difficulties

Keywords: Students’ Difficulties, Writing, Essay Writing.

Writing is a very complex skill and difficult to master. Difficulties